Press Conference Comments from Michigan Players
9/6/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
Player Comments from
Weekly U-M Football Media Luncheon
Previewing Notre Dame (Sept. 11); Reviewing Miami (Sept. 4)
Marlin Jackson | Roy Manning | Pat Massey | Lawrence Reid
Junior Wide Receiver Jason Avant
On Chad Henne's completions on third down ... "It was very important. He put the ball in the low area where I could get it. You can tell that he has a little bit of experience with doing that and its going to be really helpful in the future because we're probably going to need a lot of those this upcoming Saturday."
On whether he was surprised by the success that Chad Henne had ..."He did a great job. Chad is a very talented kid. He's going to do a better job next week. I expected him to come out there and perform well and he did. He has been doing really well in practice and I expected him to do the same in the game. The team has a lot of confidence in him and the coaches had the confidence in him to give him the start. I expected him to perform like he does in practice."
On the team's expectations of Chad Henne ..."In this program, if the coaches and the team have confidence in you to go out as a freshman and start, they're expecting you to go out and perform like you're a senior. The coaches and the team have had confidence in him because he's done a fabulous job ever since he stepped foot on the campus. Everybody in our building had confidence in him, so we expected him to go out there and play like he was a senior."
On the hype that Chad Henne has received from the media ... "Most freshmen don't come in and get the same publicity that he's been getting. He's a different type of player, as people can see now. He's a different type of freshman. God blesses some with a tremendous ability like Chad has: a natural instinct for football."
On Chad Henne coming into a program with depth at QB ..."That's telling you a lot about his personality. That's the type of guy we want here at Michigan. We want guys who are going to compete. A lot of guys don't come to schools where there are a lot of guys in front of him. We want the guys who come in here and compete no matter what and want to play for Michigan. That is what Chad wanted to do and he didn't care who was in front of him."
On Chad Henne's experience going into Notre Dame ... "It's going to be different, like night and day. He came into a stadium last week where everybody was on his side and wishing he did well. When you go into Notre Dame, one of the craziest places to play in the country, they're going to be booing him. There are going to be a lot of different elements to the game besides football, but I think he will be prepared to go in there."
On losing at Notre Dame two years ago ..."We were mad, just like Notre Dame is going to be when we go down there. We felt like we threw the game away ourselves. They played a good game, but we were pumped up and thought about it the whole summer after. We came out and performed last season and I'm sure Notre Dame is going to do the same this upcoming week."
On how the loss to the Irish two years ago can help U-M now ..."It helps us out a lot. A lot of guys that have been here and were at that game when we lost know what type of attitude Notre Dame is going to have. It helps knowing that a team is going to come out there no matter what happened last week and focus on this game and play as hard as they can."
On Notre Dame's enthusiasm heading into the game ... "I was always taught that the enthusiasm and all of that helps you at the beginning of the game in the first couple quarters, but towards the end of the game when you continue to grind it out, that great enthusiasm is going to go out and you've got to just play football. I believe we're going to take a big punch from them just because of their momentum. When you play against momentum and enthusiasm and just being excited for a game, guys are going to come out and perform really well. We just have to take their best shot and continue to go."
On the ability of this year's defense ..."I can't lie; this is one of the best defenses. Before the Miami game, a lot of the guys on the team said that this was going to be one of the best defenses that Michigan would have here. You can see that a lot of the guys on defense can catch. The DB's are catching the ball and getting interceptions, these guys could be receivers. The defensive line is going to cause so much pressure, hopefully they will get some hands on the ball."
On the defensive backs going up against the receivers in practice ..."I think playing against receivers like Braylon (Edwards) and Steve (Breaston) in practice really helps them out a lot. I think they're not going to see too many receivers across the country that can perform at the level that those guys can."
On Notre Dame's defensive backs ..."They have some feisty guys this year; they're not as big as they usually are at the corner position. They're not going to be as physical as some of the other guys, but they're going to perform at their highest level."
Senior Left Guard David Baas
On Chad Henne ... "I think everybody is really impressed. As a true freshman, there is a lot of pressure just coming from high school. He came in here during the extended camp and did some good work rotating with the quarterbacks, and there is a lot of pressure going into that stadium in front of all those fans and performing. I think he did a good job, I think he stepped it up and matured when he had too."
On mentoring Henne during the game ... "I would say things during the huddle, like 'we have to keep going,' and 'stay focused,' stuff like that. It was encouragement, and he took it well, and he responded well."
On going to Notre Dame with Henne possibly starting ... "It's going to be tough. Every game is going to be tough especially a rivalry game and the implications of this game, just the tradition. There's going to be some extra pressure on him, but he just has to step up to the plate again and perform. If one of the other quarterbacks are in there, they have to do the same."
On advice to teammates going into Notre Dame ... "You just have to keep your composure. You have to keep everyone on the same page. If things go wrong, you can't get down, you have to keep everyone up and keep everyone focused. I think they know the importance of this game and what it means. I think they are going to be able to handle any situation that comes their way."
On the running game ... "It needs to improve. We struggled, for various reasons. It has to improve if we want to win games. We have to be able to run the ball and we just have to get better. It wasn't where it needed to be Saturday."
On playing at Notre Dame ... "You know you have to be prepared to play on the road. It's twice as hard, especially playing at Notre Dame. You just have to get ready. It doesn't matter how long it's been (since winning in South Bend), we're going in there to win a game, and we have to be prepared to do that no matter what."
On the experience of playing at Notre Dame ... "It's a great tradition. It's exciting. It's a special feeling, because this is such a great game between the two teams, and it's overwhelming almost. You have to be calm and level-headed when you go in there in order to not get over excited."
On Notre Dame being 0-1 ... "I think they are feeling a fire in their souls right now. It really doesn't matter what they did against BYU. They still remember last year's game, they've been getting prepared for us, and I know they are going to be ready. We have to be ready to meet that challenge."
Fifth-Year Senior Fullback Kevin Dudley
On his carry ... "It was nice. It has been a while, but it was nice to get the ball."
On the running game ... "Miami was doing some things with the defense that kept us from getting long runs. We kind of struggled running the ball. We will go in this week and work on those things and come out ready to run the ball."
On what the team struggled with ... "People getting off blocks. Not sustaining the blocks and people coming off, just little things that can really get you an extra two or three yards."
On is the emphasis in practice will be running the ball ... "Going into every game, you have to have a running attack. Again, we do have great receivers, but every week we have to work on a game plan and be ready to go."
On the defense ... "I think we have a great defense. Every day during camp they came out fighting. It really made us better as an offense because they came out with so much energy and so much enthusiasm and playing hard on every play."
On his impressions of Chad Henne ... "I thought he did a great job. Coming in as a true freshman and your first game being the starting quarterback, I thought he handled the pressure tremendously. He came in and got us a victory. I don't think you can ask much more of him."
On the importance of matching Notre Dame's intensity ... "I think any time you play Notre Dame, if you win or lose the year before, you are going to have just as much enthusiasm going into the game as you would any other time."
On his impressions of Notre Dame's team ... "They are much improved from last year. They play with a lot of effort and energy on defense. I think it is going to be a dog fight come Saturday."
Senior Wide Receiver Braylon Edwards
On the play of Chad Henne last weekend ... "I was very impressed. We brought him in here because we knew he was an exceptional athlete and we knew he had the capability to make plays. I expected him to do well. The only thing I was surprised with was his huddle presence. He was very commanding and dominant in the huddle. A lot of times you'll get young guys who kind of mutter and stumble through calls or are looking all over the place instead of looking at the 10 other guys in the huddle. But he was very commanding, very relaxed and very poised. That was the thing I was very proud of."
On what Chad Henne can expect at Notre Dame ... It's definitely going to be a change. It's going to be a change to go on the road and play in their stadium with the tradition and the atmosphere. Playing here, it's kind of the same situation; the only difference is that he's going to have 90,000 or 100,000 people chanting the other direction. Once he gets a series under his belt and gets a chance to play in that atmosphere for a couple plays, I believe he'll be okay."
On how Chad Henne has impressed him ... "Quarterback is one of those positions that takes a lot of film, knowledge and experience to make it happen day in and day out. By him starting and looking pretty good, it was surprising. He's a special kind of guy. The first time I met him, I knew he was special because a lot of times freshman recruits tend to be a little nervous and shy when they meet the players. He was more calm and relaxed. He was very confident in himself and he had that swagger. I think Chad will be an exceptional athlete, whether he gets the start at Notre Dame or whatever is going to happen. He will definitely be a key player in Michigan's future."
On when he realized the potential of Chad Henne ... "To be honest, it wasn't even in practice. It was right when he came in. Chad stayed here the whole summer and he just looked exceptional. He was making throws that he had no business throwing and he was getting them there almost every time. He was taking a lot of shots and he was hitting guys in stride. He was just looking like a veteran. This summer, he impressed me and I knew he was going to be an exceptional player in the future. I just had no idea that it was going to happen so fast."
On the dropped passes against Miami ... "We were laid back and relaxed. One thing about dropping passes is how you come back after it happens. You can drop a pass and go into a funk for the whole season, or you shake it off and come back the next play when your number is called. That's something I've definitely worked on this summer. I think I reacted well on Saturday. I dropped two passes, but I ended up coming back and making the next play when my number was called again. We're going to definitely try to eliminate those things."
On playing down in South Bend ... "It's going to be a dangerous game for the simple fact that it's Notre Dame. You never know what to expect. Previous games don't mean anything, last year means nothing. Playing down in South Bend against a team like Notre Dame with such a storied tradition like ours; it's going to be a great game. It's a rivalry that always goes down to the wire at Notre Dame. They're going to be fired up and they're going to forget about last week. A lot of people think that they're going to go into a shell or into a funk, but I believe that they're going to forget about last week and come out and play like wild men. I believe that next week will come down to the fourth quarter. I believe that whoever has the ball then is going to have to make plays and keep the other offense off the field. Something we're going to have work on this week is playing when we're tired because it's probably going to be hot down there and we're probably going to have to play in the fourth quarter, so we have to be ready to go."
On the loss at Notre Dame in 2002 ... "It left a sour taste in my mouth. That was my first time playing Notre Dame, but I already knew about the tradition. It's one thing to hear about tradition on TV, but it's another thing to be a part of it. It hurt me that we lost, but going into the locker room and seeing grown men crying, I knew nothing of a rivalry defeat then. It touches you and forces you to believe that this rivalry is something special. You will win games against Notre Dame, Ohio State or Michigan State, but the games you lose you will never forget. Even though we won last year, that game two years ago is still in my mind."
Senior Cornerback Marlin Jackson
On if Notre Dame's loss makes this game easier ... "I don't think anybody on our team or on the coaching staff is thinking like that. I think they are going to come out even more motivated to get a win this week. They want to come out and get a W on the board, so that is going to make them come out even more this week and want to fight."
On what he remembers from playing at Notre Dame two years ago ... "I remember the stadium, the touchdown Jesus and the fans that are really into the game there. That is going to be another advantage that they have is their crowd."
On if Notre Dame feels like Michigan because of the tradition ... "That is probably the only other place that I have been where I can feel the tradition."
On what it is like to play in a Michigan vs. Notre Dame game ... "It is an honor to play Notre Dame. I grew up watching Notre Dame. It is great to get a chance to go there and play against a great university like that with a great tradition."
On what he attributes the turnovers to ... "I think it was the practice. That is what was going on in camp. We were getting turnovers like that all the time. We practice that every day. We practice strip drills, we do a lot of interception drills. Practice makes perfect, so we just go out everyday in practice and focus everyday on getting turnovers and getting the ball back for our offense."
On how the defense gets turnovers this week ... "We just have to continue to do what we have been doing. We've been doing the strip drill. We've been doing the interception drills. We just have to continue to do that all year."
On what the defense expects in terms of turnovers ... "We expect at least to get three turnovers. That is our mantra going into the game. Any more than that is just icing on the cake."
On keeping the other team out of the end zone ... "You don't want anybody to score when you are on defense. We were upset when they got that touchdown this week. When we go down to Notre Dame we want to do the same and keep these guys out of the end zone and keep a zero on the board."
On if he expects Notre Dame to be a desperate team ... "I don't want to say a desperate team. I think they are fired up. They have been waiting all year to get at us and the loss that they just had adds some fuel to the fire. They are just going to come out and be more ready to go."
Fifth-Year Senior Linebacker Roy Manning
On if he watched Notre Dame on Saturday night ... "I had a chance to watch them. I really liked some of the things their defense was doing. They looked fast and played really aggressively and really hard. I didn't get to catch much of the game."
On if the turnovers were a result of good defense or bad offense ... "I guess it was a combination of both. Anytime you can cause five or six turnovers its definitely reflects on the defense coming up with some big plays. For Miami, I guess they didn't play as well as they wanted to either, so it works both ways."
On the goals of linebackers in terms of creating turnovers ... "Playing linebacker, we just want to get a lot of pressure on the quarterback and give those guys back in the secondary time to cover their man. We are confident in the personnel we have back there and the great thing about Saturday is when everyone got a chance to come up with a big play or an interception, they caught the ball and they secured it and gained some yardage to help the offense."
On if the team expects to cause turnovers ... "We expect it. We go out there and we want to cause as many turnovers as we can. That was a big emphasis of our camp this year, causing turnovers and just getting the ball back. It kind of felt natural, just like a transition from football camp to the game."
On how the team works to force more turnovers ... "Every day we work strip drills. Every group does that, every position. That goes a long way, just getting the ball out, securing the tackle. Once one guy makes the tackle, the other guys coming in there are rallying in there getting a hand in there or getting a hat on the football."
On having to play at Notre Dame ... "It is definitely going to be tough. There is a long-time tradition between us and Notre Dame, a rivalry. They are always going to play great at home. They have their fans there supporting them. They are actually a pretty dangerous team right now, coming off a loss and heading into our game. They lost to us last year so I know this is a big game for them. They are going to be a very dangerous team and come out really excited and ready to play."
On if the team will have to create turnovers to have a good chance to win ... "I think so, because we are playing on the road and that is already a disadvantage for us. Like I said, they will have their fans behind them rallying and they are probably going to play their best game of the season."
On playing Notre Dame ... "It is a great game between us and Notre Dame; a great rivalry. That is all the more incentive to win."
Senior Defensive End Pat Massey
On his recent progress ... "I think a lot of it is just experience. I got stronger and put on some weight in the off-season, but I think most of it is just experience. I'm coming in as one of the most experienced guys up front on defensive line. That helps a lot."
On the importance of pressuring the QB ... "It's huge. That's what our defense revolves around, putting pressure on the quarterback. Stopping the run and getting to the quarterback, those are our two main responsibilities. We have to keep it up and improve on last week."
On the defense's performance against Miami QB Josh Betts ... "It was decent. We got to him a lot, but we need to get more sacks. I think we had two last week. We definitely have to improve on that."
On the game plan for the defense against Notre Dame ..."It changes every week; it's based on our opponent. We definitely threw a lot at Miami and I'm sure the coaches are going to have another game plan for Notre Dame. They're two different teams. You'll see some of the same things but I'm sure they'll add some stuff for Notre Dame."
On being supported by the secondary ... "It's great knowing they're back there. We just try to do our part and we know they're going to do theirs. We know it's just a matter of getting to the quarterback and trying to do our role. We know what we have to do."
On the play of Gabe Watson ... "Gabe played great, he really did. I think that's the best I've seen him play. He's definitely improved a lot and I expect to see that every single Saturday."
On Notre Dames response after a loss to BYU last weekend ..."When you play Notre Dame in a big game like this, you throw the records out. Last game doesn't make a difference. We're going to get Notre Dame's best performance and they'll get our best performance. You know it's going to be a good game no matter what."
On the tradition of the Notre Dame-Michigan game ..."It means a lot. This is it; this is what college football is all about. I've watched this game growing up and I realize the magnitude of it and what a privilege it is to play."
On his work during the off-season ... "Coach (Mike) Gittleson, our strength coach, says I will never be heavy enough. I could be 300 pounds and he will tell me to put on weight. It was definitely a goal to gain weight and get stronger, just like a lot of the guys up front."
Senior Linebacker Lawrence Reid
On matching Notre Dame's intensity ... "I think it's going to be real important to match that kind of intensity. Their fans are kind of rowdy down there. Playing in a stadium like Notre Dame's, with that tradition, and they are coming off a loss, they are going to be real pumped up and ready to beat us."
On the game two years ago in South Bend ... "I just remember it being real close. I know we were still in the game at the end of it, but we just couldn't put it together."
On the importance of getting turnovers ... "When you get one, everyone gets pumped up and tries to get another one. Once one happens everyone tries to get more pressure on the quarterback and it makes things happen."
On the goals for next game ... "Definitely get more pressure on the quarterback. I just try to do the little things that help you win games."
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